Ebike with partially exposed battery

ABSTRACT

An ebike comprises a front wheel, a rear wheel, a frame structure supported on the front wheel and the rear wheel, a crank assembly, and a battery assembly. The frame structure includes a down tube defining a down tube axis and being open at its lower end. The crank assembly is rotatable about a crank axis that is spaced rearward from the down tube axis. The battery assembly is slidable into the down tube from the lower end of the down tube along the down tube axis. The battery assembly includes a battery housing protruding from the lower end of the down tube, and a battery cover secured to a lower end of the battery housing and substantially enclosing the lower end of the battery housing. At least a portion of the battery housing may extend below a horizontal plane defined by the crank axis.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to bicycles having electric motors, or“ebikes,” and more particularly to a battery for an ebike.

Ebikes have an electric motor and a battery for powering the electricmotor. Ebike batteries may be secured to the ebike in some fashion, suchas to the bike frame or a rack attached to the frame. Also, ebikebatteries may be housed within a hollow chamber of the ebike frame.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a right side view of an ebike including a frame assembly,according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is left side view of the frame assembly of the ebike in FIG. 1,the frame assembly having a frame structure, a motor assembly, and abattery assembly.

FIG. 3 is a left rear perspective view of the frame assembly in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a right rear perspective view of the frame assembly in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged front perspective view of a bottom shell area ofthe frame assembly in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a right side view of the frame assembly in FIG. 2 shown withthe battery assembly exploded.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the battery assembly shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the battery assemblyin FIG. 7 shown with an upper mount exploded.

FIG. 9 is a section view of the upper portion of the battery assembly ofthe frame assembly in FIG. 2 taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 10 is a section view of the upper portion of the battery assemblyof the frame assembly in FIG. 2 taken along lone 10-10 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the battery assembly in FIG. 7 shownwith a battery cover and fastener exploded.

FIG. 12 is a section view of a lower portion of the frame assembly inFIG. 2 taken along line 12-12 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the motor assembly of the frameassembly in FIG. 2, including an electric motor and a motor cover, shownexploded from the frame structure of the frame assembly.

FIG. 14 is a right side view of the frame structure and electric motorin FIG. 13 with the frame structure shown in dashed lines and the motorcover removed.

FIG. 15 is a left side view of the frame structure in FIG. 13 and amotor housing of the electric motor in FIG. 13 with the frame structureshown in dashed lines and the motor cover removed.

FIG. 16 is a right side view of the frame assembly in FIG. 13 with themotor cover and battery cover removed.

FIG. 17 is a left front perspective view of the frame assembly in FIG.13 with the motor cover and battery cover removed.

FIG. 18 is a rear perspective view of the frame assembly in FIG. 2showing the position of an internal routing tube.

FIG. 19 is a rear perspective view of the frame assembly in FIG. 2 witha portion of the frame structure removed to show a cable housing loopleading to a dropper seat post.

FIG. 20 is a section view of the frame assembly in FIG. 18 taken alongline 20-20 in FIG. 18.

FIG. 21 is an enlarged side view of a left rear wheel support of theframe structure in FIG. 2 and showing a speed sensor assembly and sensorsupport.

FIG. 22 is a right rear perspective view of the left rear wheel support,speed sensor assembly, and sensor support in FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is an exploded view of the speed sensor in FIG. 21.

FIG. 24 is a right side view of the speed sensor assembly and sensorsupport in FIG. 21.

FIG. 25 is a side view of the speed sensor assembly in FIG. 21.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangement of components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orof being carried out in various ways.

According to an exemplary embodiment, an ebike comprises a front wheel,a rear wheel, a frame structure supported on the front wheel and therear wheel, a crank assembly, and a battery assembly. The framestructure can include a front fork supported on the front wheel, a headtube coupled to the front fork, and a down tube extending downward andrearward from the head tube, the down tube defining a down tube axis andbeing open at its lower end. The crank assembly can be supported by theframe structure and can be rotatable about a crank axis that is spacedrearward from the down tube axis. The battery assembly can be at leastpartially secured in the down tube in an installed position and can beslidable into the down tube from the lower end of the down tube alongthe down tube axis.

The battery assembly can include a lower end that protrudes from thelower end of the down tube when in the installed position. The batteryassembly can include a battery housing protruding from the lower end ofthe down tube when in the installed position, and a battery coversecured to a lower end of the battery housing and substantiallyenclosing the lower end of the battery housing when the battery assemblyis in the installed position. At least a portion of the battery housingcan extend below a horizontal plane defined by the crank axis. Inaddition, the battery housing can protrude from the lower end of thedown tube by a distance that is at least 10 percent (%) of a length ofthe battery housing.

The battery cover can comprise an energy-absorbing zone that protectsthe battery housing. For example, the energy-absorbing zone can comprisea honeycomb cell structure. The battery cover further can comprise askid plate spaced from the battery housing by a gap, and the lower endof the down tube can be positioned at least partially in the gap. In oneembodiment, the skid plate can comprise a plate hole, the down tube cancomprise a tube hole, and the battery housing can comprise a threadedhole, and the battery assembly further can comprise a threaded fastenerpositioned through the plate hole and tube hole and threaded into thethreaded hole to secure the lower end of the battery assembly to thedown tube.

The battery cover further can comprise a recess that facilitatesengagement of a finger of a user to remove the battery assembly from thedown tube. For example, the recess can be defined at least partially bya recess wall that is substantially perpendicular to the down tube axis.

Referring now to the illustrated embodiment, FIGS. 1-4 illustrate anebike 50 having a front wheel 52, a rear wheel 54, and a frame assembly56 coupled to and supported on the front wheel 52 and rear wheel 54. Theframe assembly 56 can include a battery assembly 58, a motor assembly60, and a frame structure 62. Further, the frame structure 62 caninclude a main frame 64, a front fork 66 rotationally coupled to andsupported on a front part of the main frame 64, and a rear frame 68coupled (e.g., pivotally coupled) to and supported on a rear part of themain frame 64). The main frame 64 can include a bottom shell 70 andmultiple hollow tubes, such as, for example, a down tube 72, a head tube74, a top tube 76, a seat tube 78, and a diagonal tube in the form of aside tube 80. Side tube 80 can connect top tube 76 to seat tube 78. Forexample, side tube 80 can connect a mid-portion of the top tube 76 witha mid-portion of the seat tube 78. The bottom shell 70 has primarily auniform wall thickness. The side tube 80 can be offset to the right sideof a vertical center plane defined by a center plane of the rear wheel,which extends through a main frame centerline CL (FIG. 3).Alternatively, the side tube 80 can be aligned with a vertical centerplane extending through the main frame centerline CL. In someembodiments, the vertical center plane also can be defined by a seattube axis of the seat tube 78 and the main frame centerline CL (FIG. 3).The side tube 80 can connect the top tube 76 with the seat tube 78 suchthat the hollow interiors of those tubes are interconnected. The sidetube 80 can be asymmetric to the centerline CL of the main frame 64. Forexample, the side tube 80 can be located to one side (e.g., a rightside) of the centerline CL of the main frame 64. In these or otherembodiments, there can be no other side tube on the other side (e.g., aleft side) of the centerline CL of the main frame 64. However, in otherembodiments, there can be another side tube on the other side (e.g., aleft side) of the centerline CL of the main frame 64.

The rear frame 68 can include chainstays 82 coupled (e.g., pivotallycoupled) to the bottom shell 70 of the main frame 64. For example, whenchainstays 82 are pivotally coupled to the bottom shell 70 of the mainframe 64, the chainstays 82 can pivot about a lower pivot axis A1.

Further, the rear frame 68 can include seatstays 84 coupled (e.g.,pivotally coupled) to rear ends of the chainstays 82. For example, whenseatstays 84 are pivotally coupled to the rear ends of the chainstays82, the seatstays 84 can pivot about a rear pivot axis A2. Front ends ofthe seatstays 84 can be coupled (e.g., pivotally coupled) to a pivotlink 86, which is coupled (e.g., pivotally coupled) to the seat tube 78at a link pivot axis A3 positioned at an intersection of the side tube80 with the seat tube 78.

The ebike 50 further can include a dropper seat post 88 secured to theseat tube 78 and supporting a saddle 90. Handlebars 92 can be coupled tothe front fork 66 to facilitate steering of the ebike 50. A userinterface 93, such as buttons or a touchscreen, is optional and can bemounted on the handlebars 92 to provide a means for the user tocommunicate with the ebike 50. A crank assembly 94 can be rotationallysupported by the motor assembly 60 to permit pedaling of the ebike 50.The crank assembly 94 can rotate about a crank axis A4.

Referring to FIGS. 5-7, the battery assembly 58 can include a batteryhousing 96, an upper battery mount 98, a battery cover 100, and abattery socket 102 on its lower end near the motor assembly 60. Thebattery housing 96 can comprise a sealed, substantially rigid structurethat houses battery cells (not shown). The battery socket 102 can bemounted in the battery housing 96 and provides an electrical conduit forelectrically coupling the battery cells to the electrical components ofthe ebike 50. The battery socket 102 can be designed to receive abattery plug 104 that is electrically coupled to the motor assembly 60and other electrical components of the ebike 50. When the battery plug104 can be plugged into the battery socket 102, the battery assembly 58can communicate with and can provide electricity to other electricalcomponents of the ebike 50. In order to recharge the battery cells, thebattery plug 104 can be removed from the battery socket 102, and arecharging plug (not shown) can be plugged into the battery socket 102.

Referring to FIG. 6, the battery assembly 58 can be partially positionedin the down tube 72 and can be designed to be slid out of the down tube72 at a location near the bottom shell 70. In order to remove thebattery assembly 58 from the down tube 72, the battery plug 104 firstcan be unplugged from the battery socket 102, and then a batteryfastener 106 can be unthreaded and removed from a lower part of thebattery assembly 58. At that point, the battery assembly 58 can be sliddownward along a battery axis A5 parallel to the down tube 72.Alternatively, the battery assembly 58 can be inserted into the downtube 72 through an opening in a side of the down tube 72.

With further reference to FIG. 6, it can be seen that the battery axisA5 along which the battery assembly 58 is inserted and removed can beoffset in front of the crank axis A4. That is, the crank axis A4 can bespaced rearward of the battery axis A5 (i.e., such that the crank axisA4 is disposed between the battery axis A5 and the rear wheel 54 along ahorizontal plane HP1 (seen in FIG. 16) that is defined by the crank axisA4 and is parallel to the ground). In addition, as better shown in FIG.16, when the battery assembly 58 is installed in the down tube 72 in aninstalled position, the lower end of the battery housing 96 can protrudefrom a lower end of the down tube 72 and can be positioned below thehorizontal plane HP1. In some embodiments, the battery housing has alength L of about 580 millimeters and the battery housing 96 canprotrude beyond the end of the down tube by a distance D1 of about 70millimeters. In some embodiments the length L can be 580 millimeters+/−20 percent (%). In some embodiments the distance D1 can be 70millimeters +/−20 percent (%). In this regard, it can be seen that thebattery housing 96 can protrude beyond the end of the down tube 72 by adistance D1 that is at least 5 percent (%) or at least 10 percent (%) ofthe length L of the battery housing 96. Such positioning of the batteryassembly 58 can result in a center of mass of the battery assembly 58being positioned lower than in other configurations, which can improvehandling and maneuverability of the ebike 50. Alternatively, the batteryassembly 58 can be inserted all the way into the down tube 72.

Referring to FIGS. 7-9, the upper battery mount 98 can be attached tothe upper end of the battery housing 96 and can include two opposingmount members 108. As shown in FIG. 8, the mount members 108 can besecured to an upper end of the battery housing 96 by threaded mountfasteners 110. Each mount member 108 can include resilient lateralsupports that resiliently laterally support the upper end of the batteryhousing 96 in the down tube 72. “Lateral” refers to a direction in aplane that is substantially perpendicular to the battery axis A5. Theillustrated resilient lateral supports can be in the form of twoflexures 112 that are slightly curved such that ends 114 of the flexures112 contact the battery housing 96, and centers 116 of the flexures 112can be spaced from the battery housing 96. The two flexures 112 of eachmount member 108 can be positioned in opposing relation to the twoflexures 112 of the other mount member 108. The flexures 112 can beresilient such that pressing the center 116 of a flexure 112 causes thecenter 116 to flex toward the battery housing 96, and releasing thecenter 116 of the flexure 112 causes the center 116 to flex back to itsoriginal shape. The illustrated flexures 112 are a single-layer leafspring configuration, but the flexures 112 could instead be any suitablearrangement, such as cantilevered or torsional. Further, while theillustrated flexures 112 are shown as separate pieces attached to thebattery housing 96, the flexures 112 could instead be formed integrallywith the battery housing 96.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 9, a width W1 of the upper battery mount 98across the centers 116 of the uncompressed flexures 112 can bedimensioned to be slightly larger than an interior width W2 of the downtube 72 at the upper end of the down tube 72 at the location where theupper battery mount 98 is positioned when the battery assembly 58 isinstalled in the down tube 72. This interference fit will result in theflexures 112 flexing inwardly toward the battery housing 96 when thebattery assembly 58 is inserted into the down tube 72. This creates aresiliently biased interface between the upper end of the batteryassembly 58 and an inner surface 118 of the down tube 72. The flexures112 can be made of any suitably resilient material, such as reinforcedplastic, aluminum, or steel.

In order to facilitate the easy insertion of the battery assembly 58into the down tube 72, the inner surface 118 of the down tube 72 can betapered in a converging manner from a larger dimension at its lower endto a smaller dimension at its upper end. When the upper battery mount 98is first inserted into the lower end of the down tube 72, there can be aloose fit between the upper battery mount 98 and the down tube 72. Thiscan make it easier to initiate insertion of the battery assembly 58 intothe down tube 72. As the battery assembly 58 is slid further into thedown tube 72, the upper battery mount 98 can slide along the convergingtaper of the inner surface 118 of the down tube 72. As the upper batterymount 98 approaches the upper end of the down tube 72, the flexures 112can start to become compressed by the inner surface 118 of the down tube72. When the upper battery mount 98 is at its fully inserted position,it can be held laterally in place due to the resilient flexing of theflexures 112 against the walls of the down tube 72.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7, 11, and 12, the battery cover 100 can besecured to a lower end of the battery housing 96, such as, for example,by a fixing bolt 120. The battery cover 100 can be made of animpact-absorbing material, such as Polycarbonate/ABS compound, carbonfiber, aluminum, or any type of plastic, and can provide protection toboth the exposed lower end of the battery housing 96 and a lower end ofthe down tube 72. The battery cover 100 can include an energy-absorbingzone 122 that it designed to absorb impact. For example, theenergy-absorbing zone 122 can comprise a honeycomb cell structure 124.

An upper end of the battery cover 100 can include a skid plate 126 that,when the battery cover 100 is secured to the battery housing 96, isspaced from the battery housing 96 by a gap 128. This gap 128 canprovide a cavity in which the lower end of the down tube 72 can bepositioned when the battery assembly 58 is fully inserted into the framestructure 62. More specifically, as the battery housing 96 is slid intothe down tube 72, the skid plate 126 can slide over an outer surface ofthe lower end of the down tube 72, causing the lower end of the downtube 72 to slide into the gap 128. The result can be that a lower end ofthe down tube 72 is protected by the skid plate 126.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 7, and 11-13, the lower end of the batteryassembly 58 is secured to the down tube 72 by the battery fastener 106.For example, the battery fastener 106 can be a threaded bolt that isinserted through a plate hole 130 in the skid plate 126, through a tubehole 132 in the down tube 72, and into a threaded hole 134 in thebattery housing 96. As shown in FIG. 12, in some embodiments with thebattery fastener 106 threaded all the way into the threaded hole 134,there can be a small air gap 136 between the down tube 72 and portionsof the skid plate 126. This air gap 136 can facilitate a certain amountof flexing of the skid plate 126 upon impact, thereby providing furtherprotection to the lower end of the down tube 72.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 7, and 12, the lower end of the battery cover 100can include a finger hold in the form of a recess 138 that can bedimensioned to receive one or more fingers of a user to facilitateremoval of the battery assembly 58 from the down tube 72. The recess 138can be defined by upper and lower walls 140 that are substantiallyperpendicular to the battery axis A5 to thereby enhance fingerengagement. To remove the battery assembly 58, the battery fastener 106can be removed, and then the user can grab the finger hold and pull thebattery assembly 58 downward along the battery axis A5. The finger holdalso can provide a convenient way to carry the battery assembly 58 whentransporting for charging.

Referring to FIGS. 13-15, the motor assembly 60 comprises an electricmotor 141 having a motor housing 142 and an output shaft 144 thatdirectly drives the crank assembly 94. Each side of the electric motor141 can be mounted to the bottom shell 70 by a front upper fastener 146,a rear upper fastener 148, and/or a lower fastener 150. Specifically,each of the fasteners 146, 148, 150 can extend through a correspondingopening in the bottom shell 70 and can be threaded into a nut orthreaded opening in the motor housing 142. Other types of fasteners canbe implemented in other embodiments. Referring to FIG. 15, it can beseen that the lower fastener 150 can be positioned below (lower than) ahorizontal plane HP2 that is parallel to the ground through the lowerpivot axis A1, and the rear upper fastener 148 can be positioned above(higher than) the horizontal plane HP2. Alternatively, the lowerfastener and rear upper fastener both can be positioned above thehorizontal plane HP2.

As shown in FIG. 13, the motor assembly 60 further can include a motorcover 152 coupled to the motor housing 142 in order to protect theelectric motor 141 from damage due to impact. The motor cover 152 can bemade of an impact-absorbing material, such as Polycarbonate/ABScompound, carbon fiber, aluminum, or any type of plastic.

Referring to FIGS. 14-15, it can be seen that the electric motor 141 (asevidenced by the motor housing 142) can be partially recessed into thebottom shell 70 of the frame structure 62, and that a portion (e.g.,substantial portion or majority) of the electric motor 141 can hangbelow the bottom shell 70. In the illustrated embodiment, the distanceD2 that the electric motor 141 extends vertically into the bottom shell70 can be 83 millimeters, and the distance D3 that the electric motor141 hangs below the bottom shell 70 can be 115 millimeters. In otherembodiments the distance D2 can be 80 millimeters +/−20 millimeters. Inthese and other embodiments the distance D3 can be 120 millimeters +/−20millimeters. By virtue of this arrangement, the motor housing 142 can beused as a stressed member, and there can be no need to extend the framestructure 62 all the way down to the lower end of the electric motor141, resulting in a substantial weight reduction to the main frame 64.

Referring to FIGS. 16-17, it can be seen that both the motor assembly 60and the battery assembly 58 can extend below a lowermost part of themain frame 64. Such an arrangement can result in a frame structure 62that is lighter in weight than an implementation positioning the motorassembly 60 and/or the battery assembly 58 above the lowermost part ofthe main frame 64. In addition, this arrangement can facilitate theremoval of the motor assembly 60 and battery assembly 58 from the mainframe 64.

Referring to FIG. 18, the ebike 50 further can include an internalrouting tube 154 that is adapted to receive and guide multiple actuatorhousings through the inside of the main frame 64. For example, theactuator housings can be mechanical cable housings, electrical cablehousings, or hydraulic fluid housings. In the illustrated embodiment,the routing tube 154 can comprise a hollow tube made of Nylon, carbonfiber, aluminum, or any type of plastic and can have an inner diameterof about 7 millimeters. In other embodiments the inner diameter can be 7millimeters +/−1 millimeters. A front end of the routing tube 154 can beaccessed at a front opening 158 along the right side of the head tube 74of the main frame 64. The routing tube 154 can pass through a frontportion of the top tube 76, through the side tube 80, and into the seattube 78 of the main frame 64. From there, an individual housing (e.g.,electrical or mechanical) can travel further toward the intendeddestination. For example, a rear hydraulic brake housing can exit themain frame 64 and enter one or both of the chainstays 82 to traveltoward a rear brake (not illustrated). Motor and battery control cablescan exit the routing tube 154 and travel toward a motor and batterycontroller 159 mounted to the motor housing 142 under the motor cover152. The motor and battery controller 159 can be part of and/or coupledto any of a variety of components, including the motor assembly 60,battery assembly 58, or user interface 93. In some embodiments, themotor and battery controller 159 can comprise a processor and memoryconfigured to store computer instructions configured to run on theprocessor.

It is noted that passing the routing tube 154 through the top tube 76and side tube 80 can avoid passing housings through the down tube 72,thereby allowing the battery assembly 58 to use up the volume inside thedown tube 72, permitting more battery capacity of battery assembly 58.Further, eliminating housings in the down tube 72 can facilitate areduction in size (e.g., width) of the down tube 72, which can result ina more aesthetically pleasing main frame 64. Further, eliminatinghousings from the down tube 72 can mitigate or eliminate potentialdamage to the housings upon insertion and removal of the batteryassembly 58.

One housing that can be inserted through the routing tube 154 can be acontrol housing 160 for the dropper seat post 88, which is shown inFIGS. 18-20. The dropper seat post 88 can receive the control housing160 from its bottom end. As can be seen from the side view of the ebike50 in FIG. 2, passing the control housing 160 from the side tube 80 tothe upper portion of the seat tube 78 can result in a sharp turn of thecontrol housing 160 of an upper acute angle α at the intersection of theside tube 80 and seat tube 78. In order to avoid this sharp turn of thecontrol housing 160, the control housing 160 can be formed into a loop162 inside the frame structure 62 below the intersection and below thedropper seat post 88 so that there is gradual redirection of the controlhousing 160 from the side tube 80 to the seat tube 78. The inner widthW6 of the frame structure 62 at the location of the loop 162 (about 60millimeters) can be larger than an inner width W7 of the upper portionof the seat tube 78 (about 31 millimeters) where the seat post 88 islocated, and also can be larger than the width of the loop 162. Thisloop 162 can be maintained by a loop stay 164 that can be secured to themotor housing 142 by the rear upper fasteners 148. Further, the loopstay 164 can be positioned close to an inside surface 166 of the bottomshell 70 so that the control housing 160 cannot pass between. By virtueof the loop stay 164 being positioned below the dropper seat post 88,the control housing 160 can exit the side tube 80, wrap gradually aroundthe loop stay 164, and then extend up toward the bottom end of thedropper seat post 88.

Referring to FIGS. 21-25, the ebike 50 can further include a speedsensor assembly configured to measure the speed of the ebike 50. Thespeed sensor assembly can be mounted on a left chainstay of thechainstays 82 immediately in front of a rear wheel support 168. Othermounting locations, such as, for example, the seatstay, fork, ordropout, are possible. The speed sensor assembly can include a sensorunit 170 and a sensor wire 172 coupling the sensor unit 170 to the motorand battery controller 159 (FIG. 17). The sensor unit 170 can comprisean inductive sensor configured to sense a presence of a magnet attachedto the rear wheel 54. The magnet can be secured to the rear wheel 54 ata location spaced from a rotational axis of the rear wheel 54 so that,as the rear wheel 54 rotates, the magnet moves in a circular path. Forexample, the magnet can be attached to a wheel spoke or to a rear brakedisk. The sensor unit 170 can be positioned in sufficiently closeproximity to the circular path such that it can sense the magnet as themagnet passes by as the rear wheel 54 rotates. The processor can receiveinformation from the sensor unit 170 relating to the rate at which themagnet, and thus the rear wheel 54, is rotating. Given a known wheelcircumference, the processor can calculate the ebike speed using wellknown formulas.

The sensor unit 170 can be coupled to the left chainstay of thechainstays 82 of the frame structure 62 using a sensor mount 176 that isattached to the left chainstay 82 by a mount fastener 178, as shown inFIG. 22-24. In the attached position, the sensor mount 176 can sandwichthe sensor unit 170 between the sensor mount 176 and the chainstay 82.In order to further secure the sensor unit 170, the sensor mount 176 caninclude a first recess 180 shaped to receive the sensor unit 170 and asecond recess 182 shaped to receive the sensor wire 172. In someembodiments, the first recess 180 and the second recesses 182 can beelongated, semi-cylindrically-shaped recesses that are aligned with eachother so that the aligned orientation of the sensor unit 170 and sensorwire 172 is maintained.

The sensor mount 176 can further include a third recess 184 dimensionedto receive the sensor wire 172 in a different orientation than thesecond recess 182. The third recess 184 can be curved so that the sensorwire 172 can be guided upward into the chainstay 82. Such aconfiguration can facilitate routing the sensor wire 172 through thechainstay 82, if desired.

Referring to FIG. 25, the speed sensor can be designed to be lowprofile, which makes the speed sensor usable in a variety ofapplications, such as, for example, in different locations on differenttypes of bicycles, and further enhances the ability to thread the speedsensor through small openings. The sensor unit 170 can include acylindrically-shaped body 186 and a cylindrically-shaped collar 188 onone end of the cylindrically-shaped body 186. The sensor wire 172includes an outer housing 190 that also can be cylindrically shaped andcan be secured to the end of the collar 188 such that the sensor wire172 and sensor unit 170 are coaxially aligned with each other, thusdefining a sensor axis 192. It should be understood that thecylindrically-shaped body 186, cylindrically-shaped collar 188, andsensor wire 172 can be implemented with different shapes (e.g.,elliptical, rectangular, square, etc.) than are shown in the drawings.

The low profile characteristic of the speed sensor assembly can befacilitated by making the sensor unit 170 only slightly larger than thesensor wire 172. That is, the sensor wire 172 can have a maximum widthW3 (perpendicular to the sensor axis 192) of about 3 millimeters +/−5percent (%), the sensor unit 170 can have a maximum width W4 at thecollar 188 that is about 6 millimeters +/−5 percent (%), and the sensorunit 170 can have a minimum width W5 at the body that is about 5millimeters +/−5 percent (%). Accordingly, it can be seen that thesensor unit 170 has a maximum width that is about two times the width ofthe sensor wire 172.

Although illustrated in connection with an ebike, it should beunderstood that many of the features described herein, includinghousings through the side tube, the loop stay, and the speed sensor, areapplicable to standard bicycles in addition to ebikes.

Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in thefollowing claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An ebike comprising: a front wheel; a rearwheel; a frame structure supported on the front wheel and the rearwheel, the frame structure including a front fork supported on the frontwheel, a head tube coupled to the front fork, and a down tube extendingdownward and rearward from the head tube, the down tube defining a downtube axis and being open at its lower end; a crank assembly supported bythe frame structure, the crank assembly being rotatable about a crankaxis that is spaced rearward from the down tube axis; and a batteryassembly at least partially secured in the down tube in an installedposition and being slidable into the down tube from the lower end of thedown tube along the down tube axis; wherein the battery assemblyincludes a lower end that protrudes from the lower end of the down tubewhen in the installed position; wherein the battery assembly includes abattery housing protruding from the lower end of the down tube when inthe installed position and including a lower end of the battery housing,and a battery cover secured to the lower end of the battery housing andsubstantially enclosing the lower end of the battery housing when thebattery assembly is in the installed position; wherein the battery covercomprises an energy-absorbing zone that protects the battery housing,and wherein the energy-absorbing zone comprises a honeycomb cellstructure.
 2. An ebike as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a portionof the battery housing extends below a horizontal plane defined by thecrank axis.
 3. An ebike as claimed in claim 1, wherein the batteryhousing has a housing length and wherein the battery housing protrudesfrom the lower end of the down tube by a distance that is at least 10%of the housing length.
 4. An ebike as claimed in claim 1, wherein thebattery cover comprises a skid plate spaced from the battery housing bya gap, wherein the lower end of the down tube is at least partiallypositioned in the gap.
 5. An ebike as claimed in claim 4, wherein theskid plate comprises a plate hole, the down tube comprises a tube hole,and the battery housing comprises a threaded hole, and wherein thebattery assembly further comprises a threaded fastener positionedthrough the plate hole and tube hole and threaded into the threaded holeto secure the lower end of the battery assembly to the down tube.
 6. Anebike as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery cover comprises arecess that facilitates engagement of a finger of a user to remove thebattery assembly from the down tube.
 7. An ebike as claimed in claim 6,wherein the recess is at least partially defined by a recess wall thatis substantially perpendicular to the down tube axis.
 8. An ebike frameassembly comprising: a frame structure adapted to be supported on afront wheel and a rear wheel, the frame structure including a frontfork, a head tube coupled to the front fork, and a down tube extendingdownward and rearward from the head tube, the down tube defining a downtube axis and being open at its lower end; a crank assembly supported bythe frame structure, the crank assembly being rotatable about a crankaxis that is spaced rearward from the down tube axis; and a batteryassembly at least partially secured in the down tube in an installedposition and being slidable into the down tube from the lower end of thedown tube along the down tube axis wherein the battery assembly includesa lower end that protrudes from the lower end of the down tube when inthe installed position; wherein the battery assembly includes a batteryhousing protruding from the lower end of the down tube when in theinstalled position and including a lower end of the battery housing, anda battery cover secured to the lower end of the battery housing andsubstantially enclosing the lower end of the battery housing when thebattery assembly is in the installed position; wherein the battery covercomprises an energy absorbing zone that protects the battery housing,and wherein the energy-absorbing zone comprises a honeycomb cellstructure.
 9. An ebike as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least a portionof the battery housing extends below a horizontal plane defined by thecrank axis.
 10. An ebike as claimed in claim 8, wherein the batteryhousing has a housing length and wherein the battery housing protrudesfrom the lower end of the down tube by a distance that is at least 10%of the housing length.
 11. An ebike as claimed in claim 8, wherein thebattery cover comprises a skid plate spaced from the battery housing bya gap, wherein the lower end of the down tube is at least partiallypositioned in the gap.
 12. An ebike as claimed in claim 8, wherein thebattery cover comprises a recess that facilitates engagement of a fingerof a user to remove the battery assembly from the down tube.
 13. Anebike frame assembly comprising: a frame structure adapted to besupported on a front wheel and a rear wheel, the frame structureincluding a front fork, a head tube coupled to the front fork, and adown tube extending downward and rearward from the head tube, the downtube defining a down tube axis and being open at its lower end; a crankassembly supported by the frame structure, the crank assembly beingrotatable about a crank axis that is spaced rearward from the down tubeaxis; and a battery assembly at least partially secured in the down tubein an installed position and being slidable into the down tube from thelower end of the down tube along the down tube axis; wherein the batteryassembly includes a lower end that protrudes from the lower end of thedown tube when in the installed position; wherein the battery assemblyincludes a battery housing protruding from the lower end of the downtube when in the installed position and including a lower end of thebattery housing, and a battery cover secured to the lower end of thebattery housing and substantially enclosing the lower end of the batteryhousing when the battery assembly is in the installed position; whereinthe battery cover comprises a skid plate spaced from the battery housingby a gap, wherein the lower end of the down tube is at least partiallypositioned in the gap.
 14. An ebike frame as claimed in claim 13,wherein the skid plate comprises a plate hole, the down tube comprises atube hole, and the battery housing comprises a threaded hole, andwherein the battery assembly further comprises a threaded fastenerpositioned through the plate hole and tube hole and threaded into thethreaded hole to secure the lower end of the battery assembly to thedown tube.
 15. An ebike comprising: a front wheel; a rear wheel; and theebike frame of claim 13, wherein the frame structure is supported on thefront wheel and the rear wheel.
 16. An ebike as claimed in claim 13,wherein at least a portion of the battery housing extends below ahorizontal plane defined by the crank axis.
 17. An ebike as claimed inclaim 13, wherein the battery housing has a housing length and whereinthe battery housing protrudes from the lower end of the down tube by adistance that is at least 10% of the housing length.
 18. An ebike asclaimed in claim 13, wherein the battery cover comprises a recess thatfacilitates engagement of a finger of a user to remove the batteryassembly from the down tube.
 19. An ebike as claimed in claim 18,wherein the recess is at least partially defined by a recess wall thatis substantially perpendicular to the down tube axis.